“That man you saw outside is called El Tunchi,” his mother explained. “He is a spirit of the rain forest.” She gave a hollow laugh. “That sounds crazy, doesn’t it? But it’s true. When I was lost, he offered me a way home.” She reached for a long wooden stick that was lying against one of the staircase’s spindles. Buzz had never seen it before, but he couldn’t pull his gaze away from the intricate carvings on it.
“He gave me this, and it guided me to help—but at a price—and now he has come to collect payment.”
“What kind of payment?” Buzz asked.
His mum dropped the stick, then took his hand and squeezed it. “That’s not important, love, because neither your father nor I are going to let it be collected. Dad’s got a plan, and I’ve managed to buy us some more time.”
“Got a plan?” Buzz repeated. Part of him couldn’t believe they were talking so calmly about a rain forest spirit with loan shark tendencies.
His mother’s grip tightened on his hand. “Listen, for the last two weeks, El Tunchi has been coming to me in my dreams. Telling me he was coming for his payment. I told your father. I thought he’d laugh at me—tell me that there was no such thing as magic or rain forest spirits—but he didn’t. Instead, he went to a shaman, and he came back with a solution.”
“What’s the solution?” Buzz asked. And who is this shaman?
“He wouldn’t say. Said it was safer that way.” His mum released his hand and rubbed at her face again. “But he did promise that when this was all over, he’d tell me all he knew about magic, about the worlds that exist beyond this one. He told me he was sorry he’d kept any of it a secret from me.”
Buzz felt a stab of guilt. He and his father had decided to keep their involvement in the quest for the Runes of Valhalla a secret. They’d been wrong to do that.
“So Dad’s gone?” Even as he said the words, Buzz felt panic surge up inside him. There was so much he needed to discuss with his father. Sam’s strange abilities, the black Jeeps that had descended on Crowmarsh, and now this El Tunchi guy. What exactly was the rain forest spirit demanding in payment?
His mother nodded. “He said phones won’t work where he’s going, but he left you a letter in your room.” She jumped to her feet and began to pace. “I really thought we’d have more time before El Tunchi came to collect, but then I heard that whistle.” She played with the gold band of her wedding ring. “I got us more time, though. That’s what your father said I must do. And I did.”
“How?” Buzz asked.
His mum scooped up the stick again. “El Tunchi told me to use this staff to find the most precious thing in our house. He said if it was precious enough, he would take it and give me more time before collecting his prize, but if not, he’d take his payment straightaway. What else could I do?”
Buzz felt a prickle of unease. “So you used the stick?”
His mother nodded, and her fingers absently traced the carving of the compass that was there. “The staff took me upstairs, to your room and a box with some stones in it.” She shrugged helplessly. “I was desperate, Buzz. We needed more time and you’d never mentioned the stones before and so I gave them to him. He seemed pleased and—”
“No, Mum, tell me you didn’t.” Buzz scrambled to his feet and raced up the stairs before she could answer. He threw open the door to his room and saw right away that the box where the Runes of Valhalla had been kept these last six months was empty. The runes that could awaken the sleeping Norse gods and their powers were gone.
Next to the desk was an envelope with his name on it, written in his father’s characteristic messy scrawl. Buzz tore it open.
Dear Buzz,
I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to tell you in person what was happening, but time was against me and you have seemed so sad of late, I did not want to burden you more. A great evil plagues your mother and our family, and I must stop it. She will tell you more, but you must know that I am going to find a suitable payment for our tormentor. If I fail, or if time runs out, you must awaken the Norse gods and ask for their help. It is not something to be done lightly. Our world almost ended last time they were awoken. But you must if my plan does not work. Look after your mother and sister and I will return with good news and a solution. This I vow.
All my love to you, my son,
Dad
Buzz’s hand tightened on the paper, and it crumpled in his grasp.
“Buzz, are you okay?” his mother asked from behind him. “Did I do something wrong?”
Buzz turned to face her. His mother was gnawing her bottom lip, and she couldn’t seem to keep her hands still. It was like she didn’t know what to do with them.
How could he tell her that she’d given away the Runes of Valhalla—the only objects that could awaken Odin and the rest of the sleeping gods? How can I tell her that she’s given away our best chance at stopping El Tunchi at all?
He couldn’t. It was another secret, but one he was determined to keep. “No, Mum, it’s okay. You bought Dad more time, and that’s the important thing.”
They heard the front door slam downstairs.
“Mum,” Tia hollered after about a nanosecond. “What is all this funky plant stuff on the floor? I’m supposed to have Marissa over later. How am I supposed to have friends visit when you’ve got attack of the Triffids going on in our hallway?”
“I better go downstairs.” Buzz’s mum gnawed on her lip even more furiously. “I’ll need to explain this to Tia as well.”
Buzz winced. Tia wasn’t going to take any of this well. Rational was her middle name. She even got irritated when people asked her what her star sign was.
Buzz’s mum must have seen some of what he was thinking in his face, because she gave him a wan smile. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to lay it all on her, just enough for her to understand a little of what is going on so that she can stay safe.” She came forward and kissed his forehead and took his face in her hands. “I’m so sorry I gave away your possessions without asking you. I only did it because I was desperate. You do understand that, don’t you?”
Buzz nodded and did his best not to think about the fact that with the runes gone, they had no plan B. And how am I going to get them back? I’m supposed to be guardian of the runes.
His ring tone, the theme music to his favorite TV show, filled the room, and a furrow appeared between his mother’s eyebrows as he reached for his phone. “I don’t want you going out,” she said. “We don’t know where El Tunchi may be lurking or what his next move is. We should all stay together safe in the house.”
Buzz didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to lie to his mum, but he didn’t think he could promise to stay in the house, either—not while the runes were gone. He looked down at the phone and saw Mary’s name flashing up on the screen. She must have just gotten here. The tight fist that felt like it was gripping his heart eased a little bit. Mary would have a solution. She could be bossy, for sure, but she’d know what to do about Sam and El Tunchi.
“Mum, it’s Mary. I’ve gotta pick up. She’s back in Crowmarsh.”
His mother was still frowning at him, but she left the room as Tia began hollering for her once again. Buzz hit answer on his cell.
“Mary, boy am I glad you’re he—”
“Oh, Buzz, I need your help.” Mary was all choked up. “It’s my grandmother.”
“What’s wrong?”
“She was supposed to meet me at the airport, but she wasn’t there. I got the bus to Crowmarsh instead and now I’m here and . . . and . . .” He heard her swallow. “You need to come and see this.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Pantheon
Buzz’s bike made a protesting squeak as he tried to direct it in a straight line toward the picket fence in front of Mary’s grandmother’s house. The streetlamps illuminated the small front lawn, which was as neat and tidy as ever.
Buzz leaned his bike against the fence and quickly checked his phone. No missed calls. Mum couldn’t have notic
ed that he was gone yet. That conversation with Tia behind the closed kitchen door wasn’t going so well, he guessed.
He knocked on the muted-gray front door and waited.
Mary pulled it open, grabbed his arm, and yanked him inside.
“What took you so long?” She demanded. Her hazel eyes looked huge behind her glasses, which were no longer wing-tipped, but large and square and an emerald-green color. On anyone else they would have looked ridiculous (because they kinda were), but somehow Mary managed to pull them off. The green beads in her braided hair helped with that.
“Nice to see you as well,” he said, allowing himself to be dragged along the hallway. “Thing is, I had to sneak past my mum and then I had to ride my busted-up bike over here.” Buzz tugged on Mary’s arm to slow her down. “It’s been crazy today and—”
“It’s about to get a bit more crazy.” Mary’s hand was on the door handle to the living room. “Ready for this?”
“Ready for what?” Buzz questioned.
“This.” Mary opened the door.
The normally pristine room was strewn with papers and books. The white walls were covered with arch-shaped symbols with a disc inside each one. The arches looked like they had been drawn with ash.
Mary’s grandmother stood at the far end of the room, fingers sooty with the cinders from the wood burner. She was furiously drawing yet more arches on the wall and her normally neatly pinned hair had escaped and curled around her head joyfully. She was urgently muttering something under her breath.
“What th—” Buzz began.
“I found her like this,” Mary explained. “She won’t talk to me. Just keeps on drawing these symbols and then going back to these books.” Mary bent down and scooped up one of the leather-bound volumes. “Realms, Dimensions, and Parallel Worlds,” she said, showing him the cover. “Not normal reading for my grandmother.”
“Have you told your parents?” Buzz asked.
Mary shook her head. “I know Grandmother can be a pain, but she wouldn’t want them to know about this.”
Buzz grimaced. “Mary, don’t take this the wrong way, but your grandmother is getting old. Maybe she’s getting confused as well.”
“No, something else is going on here.” Mary’s face had set along stubborn lines. “Something really odd.”
“Come on, you can’t know that for sure, and—” Buzz broke off.
Mary’s grandmother was still muttering under her breath as she scrawled on the wall, but Buzz finally caught what she was saying: Pantheon.
“Pantheon,” Buzz repeated. He knew exactly where he’d come across that word before. He felt the hairs on his arms stand up on end.
“Yes. It’s a word she keeps coming back to,” Mary explained. “It has several meanings, I’m sure you know. It can mean a set of gods belonging to a particular religion, mythology, or tradition. Or she could be referring to a temple to the gods in ancient Rome.” Mary wrinkled her nose. “She might even be talking about the mythical red deer that appears on Tudor flags.”
“No, that’s not it,” Buzz said.
Mary crossed her arms. “Actually, I think you’ll find I am completely correct with my definitions.”
Buzz ignored her and walked over to Mary’s grandmother. “Um . . .” He stopped, realizing he didn’t even know her name. Mary’s grandmother hadn’t ever been that friendly, and she barely acknowledged him when they saw each other in town.
“It’s Esther,” Mary said, as if reading his mind. Buzz had forgotten how good she was at doing things like that.
“Esther.” Buzz took one of her ash-covered hands. It felt very frail in his grip. “Pantheon, who are they? I think I saw them, too.”
“You saw them?” Esther’s unfocused hazel eyes had suddenly cleared, become piercing in their intensity. “Where?”
“At the post office. They were moving in.”
“What’s going on, Grandmother?” Mary asked, coming to stand on her other side. “Who are Pantheon?”
Esther was wiping at her hands. Her face twisted in distaste as she examined how mucky they were. She looked around her and began to tut.
“Amaryllis, how could you let a stranger come into my house when it looks like this?”
Mary sighed. “It’s no time to be house-proud, Grandmother, and Buzz is not a stranger. When I got here, you were a wreck. Buzz was the only person I trusted enough to help. And I was right. He brought you back to yourself. Now, what is Pantheon?”
Esther tucked several frizzy strands behind her ears and adjusted her half-moon glasses. Buzz could see that her hands were shaking. “You should sit down. I’ll do my best to explain.” She sank into the high-backed armchair by the fire and clasped her hands in her lap. “You must understand that I haven’t spoken about this for many years, and the only reason I’m telling you is so that you stay safe—the Pantheon are dangerous.” She plucked at the collar of her frilly blouse. “You must not think me crazy, but know what I am about to tell you really happened.”
Buzz thought about what he’d seen Sam do earlier today and then the strange El Tunchi who had been whistling on the garden path. He would have said that things couldn’t get much stranger. He’d be wrong.
“I moved to Crowmarsh when I was just six years old,” Esther began. “My father came here to work as a scientist at one of the labs at the university—it was quite an honor. I was very homesick for our homeland. Everything here felt so gray and cold, but I had my older brother, and he could always make me smile.”
“Brother?” Mary squeaked. “I never knew you had a brother.”
Esther peered at Mary over her glasses. “Amaryllis, please don’t interrupt, this is hard enough already.”
“Sorry, Grandmother,” Mary murmured.
“Crowmarsh was a very different place then. Not much to do except play in the woods or climb the ruins near Larkscross.” She swallowed. “It was spring and my brother was changing. I saw him do things that shouldn’t be possible. He could move things with his mind. Create fire out of thin air.” Esther hugged herself. “I didn’t trust the powers. I didn’t like how they were changing Benjamin.” She dabbed at her eyes. “Then one day my brother said that he had met some very kind people from a traveling circus that was passing through Crowmarsh. They’d set up camp near the ruins.” She pointed to one of her scrawled symbols on the wall. “They had flags everywhere with this insignia on it, and they promised to teach him how to harness his abilities properly if he could demonstrate his power.” Tears escaped the half-moon glasses and Mary’s grandmother began to rock backward and forward in her chair. “The next night he went to them, but it was a trap. A terrible trap. The circus was a cover for Pantheon.”
“But who are they?” Buzz knew he wasn’t supposed to interrupt, and Mary was glaring at him, but he couldn’t help himself. The story of Benjamin was sounding very similar to the story of Sam.
Esther took a shuddering breath. “Mainly gods, forgotten ones, and a few hard-core believers. It’s Pantheon’s job to seek out new gods and decide on their fate.”
“New gods?”
“Yes. Individuals, normally children, who are manifesting strange powers.”
“So this circus, which was actually the Pantheon, only come to Crowmarsh to lure a new god out?” Mary questioned.
Her grandmother nodded. “I believe the new god always manifests in Crowmarsh, and then there is some kind of battle to see who will claim them.”
“Okay, so what happened to Benjamin when he got to the ruins?” Buzz asked.
“I didn’t see it all.” Esther’s gaze looked haunted by the memory of what she’d seen that night. “I’d followed Benjamin without his knowledge and only caught glimpses of what transpired.” She chewed at her lip. “There was a terrible battle for him.” She shuddered. “Such carnage. Such hunger. And then he went through an arch, crossed into the light with the victor, and I never saw him again.”
“What did you tell your mother and father?” Mary aske
d.
“I told them the truth. But when we went back to the ruins there was nothing there.” Her fingertips dug into the armrests of her chair. “They thought me crazy. Sent me away to an institution to rest. I even began to believe that I had imagined the whole thing and that the story about what had happened to Benjamin was some kind of fiction I told myself because the truth was even worse.” She sighed. “I buried it all deep down, but when I grew up, I moved back to Crowmarsh. I half hoped I might see my brother again, or some sign of the Pantheon. But there was nothing. Not until today. Until I saw her. The high priestess. She had not aged a day.”
“Blond hair, tall, really intense eyes?” Buzz asked.
“Yes, yes, that’s her.”
“How’d you know that, Buzz?” Mary demanded.
“I’ll explain, I promise. But we don’t have time right now. We need to talk to Sam.”
“Sam?” Mary was looking even more bemused. “What’s he got to do with any of this?”
“I think he might be the next manifesting god, and that means the Pantheon are going to be after him.” Buzz took out his phone and dialed Sam’s number. He cursed as it went straight to voice mail.
“I’m going to have to go to his house and warn him.”
“No, you mustn’t,” Esther said. “What if the Pantheon are there? I told you, they’re dangerous.”
Buzz was reminded of the strange man he’d spoken to after his bike crash avoiding the Jeep. He’d said exactly the same thing. “Sam is my friend. I have to go.”
“Don’t worry, Grandmother,” Mary reassured her. “We’ll be careful, but we do need to find him. It’s the right thing to do.”
Esther smiled sadly. “You remind me of him, you know, Amaryllis. Benjamin was always so very brave and always believed in doing the right thing. He’d have liked you.”
Mary bent and kissed her grandmother’s cheek. “I think I’d have liked him, too, and I know if he was here he’d want us to help Sam.”
Keeper of Myths Page 3